William Hudson and John Cottingham Tingey, eds. The
Records of the City of Norwich, vol.1 (Norwich: Jarrold, 1906),
204-07.

Original language:

Latin

Location:

Norwich

Date:

1260s

TRANSLATION

Katherine the wife of Stephen Justice brings an accusation against
Ralph fitz Robert, Andrew le Gaoler, William Virly glover, William Gredi,
Walter de Derham, John the servant of Nicholas de Ingham, Nicholas
formerly the servant of Nicholas de Lopham, and Nicholas le Gayver.
She says that when she was in the peace of God and the king, in the house
of her husband Stephen Justice in
Fybriggate, in St. Clements parish,
in the town of Norwich, on the night of 22 November 1263, there came
Ralph, Andrew, William, William, Walter, John, Nicholas, and Nicholas
feloniously, with premeditated intent [to
make] a felonious assault in infringement of the king's peace.
They smashed her oak gates and broke
the metal hooks and hinges with poleaxes, wedge-shaped axes, swords,
knives, and maces and threw them into the courtyard. Entering feloniously,
like felons, they broke down the pine doors into the hall, broke
the hinges and iron-work of the doors, broke the chains and bars and
the oak shutters of the windows, again just like felons, and after
that feloniously entered the chamber of the hall by its southern doorway
and robbed that chamber. That is, [they
stole] two swords worth 3s.6d, a dagger with an ivory handle
worth 12d., an iron breastplate worth 10d., an iron club worth 4d.,
a cuirass of iron-plated cowhide worth 6s.8d, and a
gambeson. Afterwards they left
that chamber and feloniously went into the hall, where the corpse of
her husband Stephen lay on a bier; they burned it, together with
a Rheims blanket worth four shillings that covered the bier and
likewise a linen sheet worth 18d. This felony, robbery and burglary
Ralph [etc.] and Nicholas carried
out on that night of that year, carrying off by robbery, as felons,
what was mentioned above. Katherine immediately raised
hue and cry from street to street,
from parish to parish, and from house to house, until she came into
the presence of the bailiffs and coroners, and from that time she pursued
the matter against the accused so that it would be tried in the
king's court. They also stole a woven linen cloth worth 5s. and a
perse hood
[lined] with squirrel fur worth 10d.
The bailiffs are ordered to arrest the accused. The bailiffs are
to answer for it. Pledges for the prosecution: John de Heylesdone
and William de Catton.

[ .... ]

Memorandum that Henry Turnecurt and Stephen de Balsham were killed
in Norwich, in the parish of St. George in
front of the gate of Holy Trinity on 1 May 1264. The coroners and
bailiffs came to the location and held an inquisition. The inquisition
having been concluded and a written record having been made, there
later came master Marcus de Brunhale clerk and Ralph Knict with many
others threatening to cut the coroners into little pieces unless
they handed over the written record. Thereafter they seized Roger
the coroner and led him by force ([armed]
with swords and axes) back to his own house, until Roger took
the document from his chest, then they immediately took him and
that document to the church of
St. Peter Mancroft where Ralph
removed the document from Roger's hands by force, bore it off, and
before his companions  all acting crazily  cut it into
little pieces. Roger, filled with fear and trepidation was barely
able to escape from their clutches. And they say that they could
not hold an inquiry into the matter because of the imminent war.

[ .... ]

The parishes of St. Peter Parmentergate, St. Vedast, St. Martin Bailly,
and St. Michael Conesford are sworn and say under oath that
William le Alblaster from the castle
threatened John le Lindraper with burning, and John de Rendlesham and
Thomas le Despenser of the castle
[did] likewise along with
Henry Punel, Simon le Longe, and William Bonehay. And that on
the night of 10 June 1264 William le Alblaster set fire to a gate
between [the properties of]
John le Lindraper and John de Belaya, so that the house of
John de Belaya burned down. And that the same William went out
from the house of Robert Faber locksmith and returned there after
committing the felony. They say that those indicted removed
the clappers from the bells of the church of St. Peter Parmentergate
and cut the ropes of the bells of the churches of St. Vedast and
St. Cuthbert, so that no-one would come to put out the fire. They say
that William le Neve, who frequents the house of
Matilda la Wymplere in the parish
of St. Julian, was present at the event. An order was issued
to arrest the wrongdoers.

DISCUSSION

These cases were recorded on a roll presumably compiled by the
city coroners, from 1263-67, for purposes of presenting crimes at
the eyre held in Norfolk in 1268.

The influence of the national disruption  de Montfort's return
from exile in 1263 having led to a renewal of armed hostilities with
the king's party the following year  may perhaps be perceived in
these cases. It complicated and exacerbated local hostilities resulting
from competitive jurisdictions within the city controlled by the
cathedral-priory and the
castle  hostilities that
would, a few years later, come to an even more violent climax.

The group who broke into the Justice house did so to plunder it of
weapons and armour as well, it appears, as to revenge themselves on
an enemy. Even from the complainant's perspective, the incidental
theft of other items was only an afterthought. That Stephen Justice
was evidently a wealthy burgess is suggested both by the style of his
house, which had its own courtyard and multi-room dwelling, and
sturdy doors and windows (although not sturdy enough), as well as by
the amount of military equipment he owned. The abduction of
the coroner was a matter of intimidation to discourage him from
attempting to exercise jurisdiction in areas claimed by the priory,
while the case involving a fire set (with precautions to prevent
the neighbourhood being aroused to fight the blaze) was likewise a
matter of intimidation on the part of the castle garrison and residents
of the castle fee. In 1266 the target of the latter, John le Lindraper
became involved in an argument with Thomas the constable of
the castle  probably the same as Thomas le Despenser; Thomas'
brother, who happened to be the sheriff of Norfolk, tried to assist
his brother by tripping John, but instead fell over and broke his leg,
later dying of the injury.

NOTES

"oak gates"
As Hudson points out, first they had to break through the gates into
the courtyard of the property, then into the house itself.

"gambeson"
Translated by Hudson as "doublet", a gambeson was a quilted jacket
padded so as to offer protection in itself or in conjunction with other
armour worn on top.

"perse"
A dark-blue cloth.

"St. George in front of the gate of Holy Trinity"
St. George Tombland, situated outside the
cathedral dedicated to Holy Trinity.

"Alblaster"
A crossbowman.

"Despenser"
The steward of the castle.

"Wymplere"
This surname reflects a female occupation: a maker of wimples, a garment
to cover the upper torso, from chin to breast.